Handy Vandal's Almanac

Slashdot recently posted On Why Making a Blockbuster Game Is a Poor Goal.

From the comments:

What I take away from the article is that Bioware can make games like that because they have a proven track record of making games like that financial successes, but that a development team with a less powerful resume probably couldn’t get it done. Not because the team wouldn’t be up to it creatively or technically, but because in the current market, management/investors wouldn’t have enough faith in an unproven team to let them take the time to do it right.

– Mongoose Disciple

And:

Of the games that try to be the biggest, baddest, most epic ever, only the top X will be making a profit at all. Most will actually make a loss.

And that is something that seems to escape most people, sad to say. From people going into making games with delusions of being paid a million like Carmack, to kiddies who think that pirating a game is some kind of act of resistance to some uber-rich fatcat who’s only charging 40$ for it because of greed, to people starting some monumental epic as some mod and expecting to finish it with 5 people in a few months, to fanboys arguing that a publisher is the incarnation of pure Evil if they had an upper limit at all for budget and didn’t give the team an infinite limit on money and time to produce the perfect game, to ultimately the devs end publishers who increasingly compete only in that segment. The fact that there’s a finite amount of money to chase in that segment seems to be genuinely news to most people.

It’s not even a matter of “get off my turf” as some other poster made it sound. We have the equivalent of, say, 90% of the car makers deciding they want to compete only at the Bugatti Veryon end of the market. Or 90% of the computer manufacturers deciding they want to make only supercomputers. Sure, it’s great if you do manage to sell the next Bugatti Veryon for 1 million a pop, but there are only so many buyers who will buy at those prices. If actually all major companies, from Ford and Fiat and Volkswagen to Bugatti and Ferrari decided to make only supercars in that segment, that most _will_ make a loss. Same here. There simply isn’t enough money in the market to cover the costs of _everyone_ who wants to make the next super-game.

– Moraelin

Game Seeds — a “card game created by Utrecht School of the Arts, Monobanda and Metagama to help game designers brainstorm both character design and entire games, by playfully combining their specific mechanics.”

Via Brandon Boyer @ Boing Boing.

The upcoming Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions promises four different Dimensions (distinctive game modes). I love the above screenshot from the Noir mode!

… The second dimension takes place in Marvel’s “Noir” universe, and is a slightly darker (both figuratively and literally) take on Spider-Man, using a style commonly found in pulp crime novels. The gameplay falls in line with this darker approach as there’s an emphasis on stealth, with slower and more methodical gameplay elements incorporated to encourage you to stay in the shadows as often as possible. You’ll still have access to the core Spider-Man abilities, so he’ll still be able to handle himself in a fight, but the developers tell us that sometimes it pays to remain unseen.

– Eduardo Vasconcellos @ GamePro

See Activision investor news.

An idea that is begging — begging! — to be made into a game:

Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em: Cigarette Black Markets In U.S. Prisons And Jails

Abstract
Since the mid-1980s, cigarette-smoking policies have become increasingly restrictive in jails and prisons across the United States. Cigarette black markets of various form and scale often emerge in jails and prisons where tobacco is prohibited or banned. Case studies of 16 jails and prisons were undertaken to understand the effects of cigarette bans versus restrictions on inmate culture and prison economies. This study describes how bans can transform largely benign cigarette “gray markets,” where cigarettes are used as a currency, into more problematic black markets, where cigarettes are a highly priced commodity. Analysis points to several structural factors that affected the development of cigarette black markets in the visited facilities: the architectural design, inmate movement inside and outside, officer involvement in smuggling cigarettes to inmates, and officer vigilance in enforcing the smoking policy. Although these factors affect the influx of other types of contraband into correctional facilities, such as illegal drugs, this study argues that the demand and availability of cigarettes creates a unique kind of black market.

– Stephen E. Lankenau

Rather like the old Lemonade Stand:

• A simplified economic model using a familiar and popular product (lemonade, cigarettes)
• In a familiar iconic setting (residential neighborhood, federal penitentiary)

Update: consider these lyrics from The Big Rock Candy Mountain …

Oh the buzzin’ of the bees
In the cigarette trees
Near the soda water fountain
At the lemonade springs
Where the bluebird sings
On the big rock candy mountain

Cigarette trees? Lemonade springs? Many a Hobo has spent many a night in jail. What exactly is the Hobo’s Anthem trying to tell us about the relationship between prisons and cigarettes and lemonade?

“Generally speaking, there are three types of bosses that appear in games, the cute-type, abominable-type and fantasy-type.”
– Ying Shi

Multiplayer Online Games Directory recently published an interview with Ying Shi, an illustrator working for ChangYou on such projects as Tian Long Ba Bu (”The most powerful martial arts experience of your MMO life.”)

MPOGD: How many concepts do you go through to get to the right one when developing the characters?

YS: We can use our own ideas to create an image, but if we want the person or player to like what they see, then we need to take some time to think about what it is we want to design. Generally speaking, there are three types of bosses that appear in games, the cute-type, abominable-type and fantasy-type. These are factors to think about when designing and, at the same time, we need to consider the story of the boss life, where does he/she come from, whats the background, the reason the boss is an enemy and how/why they became the way they are.

MPOGD: TLBB is widely known for its authenticity to the book (Tian Long Ba Bu). What key ideas and features did you take from the book in order to create what we see today?

YS: Its important to bear in mind that the game has a genuine ancient Chinese martial arts feel to it and so highlighted areas such as the 9 nine different classes, the cities, the skills etc. are very influential. Weve tried to maintain a genuine feel to the book also, hence why the NPCs are named after characters in the original work of Louis Cha.

- Multiplayer Online Games Directory

For more about the classes:
http://tlbb.eu.changyou.com/gameguide/Classes.shtml

I am impressed — wowed! — by Red Dead Redemption.

Okay, okay: I haven’t actually played (or seen) the game in person. But the videos look awesome!

There is a single player campaign, and a variety of multiplayer modes.

Deathmatches begin with something new: a classic Mexican Standoff.

If you are the last man standing at the end of the bloodshed, make your way to the best sniper location.

Each mode is a Western version of a classic Multiplayer game, based around a particular town or geographic feature …

- Gameplay Series: Multiplayer Competitive Modes

Single player game mechanics include Honor and Fame:

Red Dead Redemption makes use of a morality system where players have the ability to gain positive or negative ‘honor’. Some of the ways to gain positive honor include taking an outlaw alive instead of killing him, or saving a kidnapped innocent. Negative honor can be attained for committing crimes including killing and/or robbing civilians. This works along with another system, ‘fame,’ showing and governing how people react based on [the player's] honor status.

- Wikipedia

Local heroes make good:

I don’t know these guys, but I smiled to read the story of their success. And I love the name “Awesome Town” — now there’s a great name for a game! Best of all, Awesome Town has laudable goals for the betterment of mankind. Check it out:

Engineering students Travis Sein and Ryan Scott recently showcased skills they’ve gained in Arizona State University’s computer gaming program in the finals of the national Microsoft Imagine Cup challenge in Washington, D.C.

… Microsoft, one of the world’s major computer technology corporations, gave students the task of developing games that demonstrate technological innovation and convey messages about making a positive difference in the world.

… Sein and Scott competed against teams from Yale University, the University of Southern California and the University of Houston, among others.

Their game, called Awesome Town, reflected the Millennium Goals themes of global partnerships and resource management.

In the game, players face the potential end of human civilization. After the Earth has been harvested dry, there is a last-ditch effort to save humanity. Several individuals are sent on space shuttles on a mission to colonize a distant planet capable of sustaining life.

… Sein and Scott say they hope the game teaches players how to work together, and how to work with nature, in efforts to develop technologically and socially sustainable societies.

- Arizona State University News by Krista Flewelling and Jessica Graham

Big thumbs up to Travis and Ryan — congrats on your accomplishments and the due recognition, and keep on rockin’ in the game world!

ArenaNet recently posted a design manifesto for Guild Wars 2, their massive multiplayer online role playing game.

Here’s an excerpt concerning a subject near and dear to my heart: the social dynamics of gaming …

MMOs are social games. So why do they sometimes seem to work so hard to punish you for playing with other players? If I’m out hunting and another player walks by, shouldn’t I welcome his help, rather than worrying that he’s going to steal my kills or consume all the mobs I wanted to kill? Or if I want to play with someone, shouldn’t we naturally have the same goals and objectives, rather than discovering that we’re in the same area but working on a different set of quests?

We think of GW2 as the first MMO that actually has a cooperative PvE experience. When I’m out hunting and suddenly there’s a huge explosion over the next hill — the ground is shaking and smoke is pouring into the sky — I’m going to want to investigate, and most other players in the area will too. Or if the sky darkens on a sunny day, and I look up and see a dragon circling overhead preparing to attack, I know I’d better fight or flee, and everyone around me knows that too.

With traditional MMOs you can choose to solo or you can find a good guild or party to play with. With GW2 there’s a third option too: you can just naturally play with all the people around you. I personally spend a big chunk of my time in traditional MMOs soloing, but when I play GW2 I always find myself naturally working with everyone around me to accomplish world objectives, and before long we find ourselves saying, “Hey, there’s a bunch of us here; let’s see if we can take down the swamp boss together,” without ever having bothered to form a party.

Of course GW2 has great support for parties, but they just don’t feel as necessary as they do in other MMOs, because your interests are always aligned with all other nearby players anyway. When someone kills a monster, not just that player’s party but everyone who was seriously involved in the fight gets 100% of the XP and loot for the kill. When an event is happening in the world –- when the bandits are terrorizing a village -– everyone in the area has the same motivation, and when the event ends, everyone gets rewarded.

- ArenaNet

Via Slashdot

First, use Nintendo’s WarioWare: D.I.Y. to create art, rules, and music for your game.

Then play the game.

Britton Peele reviews the design process:

Start by drawing the art that will go into your game. This was by far the trickiest part for me because I’m a terrible graphic artist in every conceivable way. However, the game’s tools are easy to use, and you can also use assets from other sources, including pre-made games and a variety of stamps …. You end up creating the background and all objects that the game uses. This includes drawing separate frames for any animation you might require.

… Next, you’ll probably want to design how the game is actually played, which can be complex, yet easy to understand. Everything operates on if-then statements. For instance, you can tell the game, “If the balloon object is tapped, display the balloon popping animation.” Then, “If all balloons are popped, the player wins the game.”

You’ll probably also want to fill you game with music and sound effects ….

- Britton Peele @ The Daily Toreador

I haven’t played with WarioWare D.I.Y., but it looks like a nice little system for bringing game design — including the principles of structured programming — to the masses.